Dem Senate candidate Sherrod Brown claims he supports ‘closing the border’; GOP says record proves otherwise

Republicans are calling out Democratic Senate primary candidate Sherrod Brown for being disingenuous on illegal immigration just days before Tuesday’s Ohio primary election.

“I support closing the border to people so they just can’t cross the border at will, but I also say we, of course, should be deporting people that have committed a crime, surely,” Brown said in an interview last month, prompting reviews of his voting record to the contrary.

That remark has raised concern about Brown trying to rewrite his voting record that showed longtime opposition to border security and deportation of criminal aliens since the first Trump administration.

Brown served in the Senate for three terms (2007-2025), nearly two full decades, before losing in 2024 to Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. Now, Brown is seeking the seat of Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was appointed to Vice President JD Vance’s seat at the start of the second Trump administration.

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Brown had been squarely on the side of the left against President Donald Trump’s border security and enforcement actions as a senator. Not only did he vote at least 10 times to protect federal funding for sanctuary cities from his time in the House in 2001 through his third Senate term in 2024, he has also:

• Co-sponsored the 2019 End Mass Deportation Act, which sought to rescind Trump’s executive order to prioritize deporting criminal illegals and withhold funding for sanctuary cities.
• Voted against ensuring ICE has “sufficient resources to detain and deport a higher number of illegal aliens who have been convicted of a crime.”
• Voted against funding to stop criminal aliens from securing amnesty.
• Voted to stop funding for deportation of criminal aliens in 2001.

Brown’s voting record shows a discrepancy between his latest comments and his past votes and public positions.

Brown has repeatedly opposed construction of a southern border wall “that doesn’t work,” calling the idea “stupid,” “wrong” and “ludicrous.” In the past he has voted:

Fox News Digital reached out to Brown’s campaign for comment, but they did not immediately respond. 

The Ohio Senate race figures to be a very competitive one this summer, drawing massive campaign dollars from both sides in the pursuit of the Senate majority, with immigration remaining a top issue.

“This November, Ohioans will have a clear choice between the past and the future,” Husted campaign manager Drew Thompson told Signal Cleveland, which reported a $1 million ad campaign for his Senate race this week, despite running unopposed in the primary. “Jon Husted is getting an early start by taking his story directly to voters who are ready for a fresh, common-sense approach in Washington.”

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Brown’s 32-year record of voting for sanctuary cities and illegal immigration will come back to haunt him in the state, Thompson added in a statement.

“After shocking Ohioans in 2024 by claiming he only hears about illegal immigration from the far Right, Sherrod Brown is now desperate to return to Washington and continue the same Biden-era open border policies he supported for 32 years,” the statement read. “Jon Husted, on the other hand, is working to clean up Sherrod Brown’s mess by funding border security, supporting border agents, and standing for the rule of law.”

Ohio is one of three races considered a toss-up by The Cook Political Report. The re-election campaign of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the open Michigan seat vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., are the other two.

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Senate seats in Alaska (lean GOP), Georgia (Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.), North Carolina (lean Democrat) and New Hampshire (lean Democrat) are the other close races drawing attention and campaign dollars.

“Sherrod Brown’s lies aren’t going to trick Ohioans,” NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia said in a statement. “They know Brown has fought for over half a century alongside liberals like Kamala Harris to open our borders and protect dangerous criminal illegals from deportation.”